ICERAS

In 2015, more than 1.3 million people applied for asylum in the European Union, twice as many as during the height of the 1992 Balkan crisis (672,000 applications). According to FRONTEX, also known as the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, most applicants reached Europe by illegally crossing EU borders. In order to stop this uncontrolled flow of illegal migration, common action is urgently needed at EU level. If we want to safeguard the Schengen Agreement, entailing open borders and free movement of people within the EU, we need to achieve an independent and effective safeguarding system for the EU’s external borders and a common European asylum system. We need to be able to decide who comes to Europe. This decision must not be left to smugglers. READMORE